Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to charm links for bracelets and the like and, more specifically, to a charm link that has a linkage means to enable a charm link to fasten to at least one other charm link that is significantly smaller than itself.
Conventional charm links known in the art typically fasten to one another via a hook and post linkage assembly. The charm links usually comprise a base housing with a slidable, spring-loaded charm face having substantially U-shaped ends, one of which is a linkage hook having an end that is inserted through a linkage recess defined by a linkage post on the adjacent charm link. The standard sizes of charm links common in industry are 13 mm and 9 mm but the linkage hook of the 13 mm charm link is too large to be inserted through the linkage recess of a 9 mm charm link. Conversely, the linkage hook of the 9 mm charm link may be inserted through the linkage recess of the adjacent charm link but has too much play to remain in the desired centered position and tends to slide along the linkage post.
The present invention seeks to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a 13 mm transitional modular Italian charm link wherein the linkage hook and/or linkage recess are designed to accommodate the mating component of at least one standard 9 mm charm link.
The transitional modular Italian charm link of the present invention is provided with three different configurations to offer the user a plurality of options for using more than one size charm link when putting the bracelet together. A first configuration has a linkage hook sized for a 13 mm charm link and the linkage post and recess of the transitional modular Italian charm link sized to conform to the linkage hook of a 9 mm charm link. A second configuration has the transitional modular Italian charm link having the linkage post, recess and hook all conforming for attachment to the respective mating components of a 9 mm charm link. This configuration is particularly advantageous because not only can a 9 mm charm link be secured to either side thereof but both sides will also accept attachment to other like 13 mm transitional modular Italian charm links. A third configuration provides a transitional modular Italian charm link having a linkage hook for 9 mm attachment and a linkage post and recess for a 13 mm charm link.
Description of the Prior Art
There are other linking devices designed for jewelry.